worn out the mute button on my own television. itisrazortightraceright now. both sides are claiming they have the edge. i talked with ohio senator robb portman, a republican, leading surrogate for the romney team. about how things are shaping up for governor romney eight days away. senator portman, good morning. >> good to be with you again. bill: on sunday you said we're about dead-even in ohio. that would mean governor romney is trailing. is that the case in this state today? >> no. i think it is a sty right now and i think momentum is on our side. in the polling before the debates we were down five or 10 points and we've had a steady movement our way ever since. poll came out on sunday i was referencing showed the race to be dead-even, tied at 49-49. that same poll only a few weeks ago showed us five points down. energy and enthusiasm is on our side. our folks are work harder than ever. grass-roots movement is harder than ever and momentum in is our direction which you always like. bill: in 2004 president bush beat senator kerry by 118,000 votes? is that the model fo